Chapter Text
March 2027
The message had been sitting on Connor’s phone for almost two hours by the time he finally noticed it.
Huddy: Did you see this?
Hudson had sent him a link to a Twitter thread. Connor wasn’t on Twitter. Not officially, at least. There was no account under his name. But like most people who had become famous faster than they’d expected, he did have an anonymous account he occasionally used to check the reactions. Just to see what people were saying. Just enough to keep himself informed. He didn’t open the link right away.
He and his manager were walking toward the far corner of the parking lot where their car was supposed to arrive, and Connor slipped his phone back into his pocket after typing a quick reply.
Connor: ???
Connor: What is it?
Nick, his manager, was already halfway through explaining something about Connor’s schedule for the next few weeks. Connor listened with half an ear while scrolling through the other notifications that had come in while Nick was talking. There weren’t many. Most of Connor’s notifications had been turned off months ago. The only alerts he still received during the day were messages from family and close friends. Anything from social media stayed silent unless he opened the apps himself.
Nick was still talking. Connor still hadn’t opened the link.
Not when they got into the car.
Not when the car dropped him off outside his building.
Not even when he unlocked his apartment and tossed his keys onto the kitchen counter.
It wasn’t until after he showered and finally collapsed onto his bed that he remembered Hudson’s message. Connor reached for his phone again and opened their chat. Hudson had replied.
Huddy: Holy shit man
Huddy: Just read it.
Connor smiled to himself. Hudson was filming a series in the middle of nowhere and still managed to be the most chronically online person Connor knew.
The smile stayed on his face only until he saw the title of the thread. His thumb stopped moving. For a second he didn’t even open the link. The title alone was enough.
“François Arnaud’s new boy: Meet Jack Cameron Kay — everything we know so far. A thread.”
Connor stared at the screen.
And just like that, February 2026 came back.